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Small Screen Reviews: Luke Cage
Luke Cage: Punching crime with the might of the Seventies!
So let me say this up front: Marvel and Netflix are a match made in Heaven. They should stick together and have many superhero drama-children as long as they both shall live until death do they part. Okay, now my review is getting confusing, and it’s not even the end of the first paragraph. But I think that’s a decent summary already. It’s just one service I provide. Okay, it’s the only one. This time.
Luke Cage is the latest Marvel-Netflix offering along with Daredevil and my so far personal favorite, Jessica Jones. The title character was introduced in the latter of these two series, a super-strong, nigh-invulnerable man with a lost love and a past he’s reluctant to discuss. After being compelled to battle to the death with Jones, Cage leaves to get his own tv-streaming series. Good deal.
Unlike the Marvel films, which take place across the globe and even the galaxy (only when accompanied by your Guardians), the Netflix shows have taken place in neighborhoods of New York City. DD and JJ in Hell’s Kitchen, Luke Cage in Harlem. This is one of the many strengths of the Netflix shows: the local story focuses on the character of the neighborhood as well as the character of its protector, exploiters, and destroyers.
Knowing Luke Cage was to be set in Harlem, I was a bit cautious at first. It could easily go bad in so many different directions. It could have devolved to black-on-black violence caricatures. Or power-broking white antagonist caricatures. Instead the direction keeps a story which, despite featuring super-powers, maintains a level of verisimilitude that does not talk down to any view regardless of race. Moreover, it’s done in such a way that I just couldn’t see the roles played by whites. Doing that yet making the story engaging and compelling takes a lot of care and talent that can be appreciated by anyone.
The story begins simply. Luke Cage, still in hiding from his dark past, works as a dishwasher at a nightclub and an assistant at a barbershop with a man who proves a great mentor and teacher. Poor guy. We all know what happens to them. Anyways, when two of the young men who frequent or work at the barbershop try to rob Harlem’s homegrown crime boss, they set in motion events that lead to disaster and force Cage to decide whether he will stay hidden or stand up and use his abilities to bring down those who exploit and abuse his home town.
Well this being a tv series he decides the latter, of course, and this is where the super powers come to play – Luke Cage muscles his way through various criminal spots, invulnerable to bullets and with super strength. If it weren’t for those, this show could fairly strongly stand on its own as another story where a man has to decide whether to stand up and act for his community or not. The body count is high, and there’s a couple of twists and turns here and there.
Ricochet member Henry Castaigne elsewhere mentioned this might be one of the most conservative shows Netflix has to offer. I’m not certain about that, but it is indeed refreshing to see a show like this not to default to making straw men arguments and scolding the audience. I find it refreshing in a similar way to how I find Adult Swim cartoon “The Boondocks” refreshing: The truth is presented with little decoration. The writer might project a few of their own biases, but never so much as to dilute the truth too much.
If I have a complaint, it’s perhaps that for some time I don’t find its villains as fascinating as in other series, at least not until the very end of the series. The primary antagonist believes himself in a Cain-and-Abel type relationship with Cage (though I find that an Ishmael-Isaac relationship would be a far better analogy), but I just don’t find it compelling. But this is really a small complaint for me. Nobody really matches the sheer intensity of D’Onofrio‘s Fisk, or sociopathic hedonism of Tennant‘s Killgrave. There is an ruthless intensity in Mahershala Ali‘s Cottonmouth, but … well I am avoiding spoilers here.
Though I don’t find this as good as my favorite, Jessica Jones, or Season 1 of Daredevil Luke Cage remains a strong addition to the Netflix-Marvel series. I anticipate more, and I really can’t wait for even more. Great show, go watch it. Just look out for violence. Seriously, all of these are like being in an ice cream parlor. Sure, I have some flavors I favor over others, but it’s still all ice cream and delicious.
Published in Entertainment
Healing so fast I grant you was major problem but I guess American TV has trained me to over look the “shoulder wound” trope. I mean shoulder wounds are terrible but people get shot there and go about their business and punch people no problem. In general Comic book stuff have people heal really fast. Examples could really multiply. So, I over looked that.
I think that’s a little too racially sensitive. That would be like having the criminals of Luke Cage’s Harlem not use that most particular slur. No moral Dr. would do what Noah Burstein did. He has to be manipulative and duplicitous and super-intelligent. It’s sad that those traits are associated with Jews but the story and nerd references need to take preference. Additionally, this is the picture of the Dr. that gave Captain America his powers as portrayed in the Marvel Movies.
To be fair, Stanley Tucci has an eminently punchable face.
So I finished my essay on why Luke Cage is one of the most conservative shows ever. On a related note, I know I should have asked about this earlier but is it or is it not frowned on to upvote your own post?
Occasional awful dialogue I can handle. What I didn’t appreciate was the awkward sex scene of episode 1 in the middle of family TV night. Thanks Ricochet! Is that gone by episode 3?
Go ahead and I’ll upvote it site unseen. Any main feed post that isn’t the binary one happening for the past 6 months is a welcome breath of air for the site.
I don’t frown on it. I’ve done it.
You’re a man after my own heart.
No further sex scenes that I remember, but there were a few places where they’d show a half-second clip of that scene when ‘coffee’ was mentioned, because the audience apparently needs training wheels on double entendres before they’re tossed out on their own.
I’m maybe halfway through, and will probably resume on Friday (I don’t touch Netflix on weekdays during a regular semester).
I don’t recall any other sex scenes. There were some folks singing in what may have been a sexy manner, references to sex that isn’t Sunday school-approved, and the occasional woman in a low-cut dress.
It is a show to be handled with care, to be sure.
Some great musical acts at Harlem’s Paradise though, right? I’m going to look for a soundtrack album.
There were lots of nice touches, like Method Man appearing on Sway in the middle of an episode. I half expected one of the vocal bystanders to shout out “Worldstar!” during the fight in the last episode. The show was outstanding in creating atmosphere.
Well, that saved me several comments. Agreed, James.
Okay, so I finished the series.
A solid show with lots to love (see previous post), but agree with the criticisms of its unevenness. Not as good as Jessica Jones, but better comparable with Daredevil in quality.
On Diamondback, I wholly agree that the character was a wast was narratively cheap and poorly-written (Mariah makes for a much better villain), but I think Erik Harvey did everything one could ask of an actor under the circumstances.